Stories about health care options can leave people with a very practical worry: What happens when I need care that isn’t covered? That question came through in September’s reader feedback through our reader survey at the end of each story on our website, “I have Medicare and a Medicare supplement. Many health care providers don’t […]
Behind the Beacon
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon is expanding its City Hall coverage. Meet Thomas Friestad
You may recognize Thomas Friestad. For the past six years, he’s covered some of the biggest development and economic stories shaping Kansas City as a reporter for the Kansas City Business Journal. On Oct. 19, Thomas will join The Beacon as our new senior reporter covering Kansas City’s City Hall. His arrival comes just a […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
A reader’s question sparked our latest event about Flock cameras
A small camera along the side of the road led to some big questions from a Kansas City, Kansas, resident. What information do automated license plate readers collect? Who can search or share that information? How long is it stored? And what oversight exists when local police officers use these cameras? Those questions led a […]
Posted inCommunity Engagement
Closed stores, cracked sidewalks & viral restaurants: What Documenters see in KC neighborhoods
On the surface, The Beacon’s Documenters program is straightforward: Train and pay residents to cover municipal meetings. This cadre of workers helps The Beacon inform the public and increase government accountability. Yet on a deeper level, being a Documenter also means paying attention to the world around you, noticing details others might miss and investigating […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Thank you, Chris Lester
When Chris Lester agreed to become The Beacon’s interim editor-in-chief in June 2025, he was supposed to help us through a transition. He did that. But “transition” hardly captures what happened during his 15 months here. Under Chris’ editorial leadership, The Beacon produced some of the strongest journalism in our young newsroom’s history. “Dumped in […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
48 residents from 33 ZIP codes learn how to make local government easier to follow
On Aug. 26, The Beacon hosted its second Documenters training class located in Kansas City, Kansas — and fourth total — welcoming communities from across the state line. The response reminded us how many people across the metro want to better understand the decisions shaping their communities. Forty-eight people from 33 ZIP codes attended the […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Kansas City readers want us to follow the money
August feedback shows readers are looking beyond announcements and votes. They want to know who pays, who benefits and whether public promises are kept.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Allison Dikanovic will be The Beacon’s next editor-in-chief
We have some big news to share. Allison Dikanovic is joining The Beacon as our next editor-in-chief. Allison starts Sept. 14 and comes to us from The Kansas City Star, where she most recently led local government accountability coverage. She has spent her career thinking about many of the same things we think about every […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon and KBIA-FM win national Murrow Award for reporting partnership ‘Dumped in Berger’
We have exciting news to share. “Dumped in Berger,” a six-month investigation by The Beacon’s Ceilidh Kern and KBIA’s Harshawn Ratanpal, has won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting. The Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious honors in journalism, and we couldn’t be prouder to see this reporting recognized nationally. If […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Why we’re trying something new
One of the things I love most about The Beacon is that we’re always trying to get better. We look at what other nonprofit news organizations are doing, we talk with colleagues across the country and we borrow good ideas when we think they’ll make The Beacon stronger for our readers. Over the next few […]